A sizeable number of private sector organizations give or encourage giving though few offer to match their employees’ efforts. Commitment to giving is driven mainly by altruism with business considerations very much a secondary factor. Giving would almost certainly be higher if charities were required to meet higher auditing and informational standards.

To the extent that respondents in the weekly business leader poll are ambivalent, it is for a variety of reasons:

• some concern that Iraq and other crises need attention too
  
• some fear of misappropriation by South Asian governments
  
• some concern about the ineffectiveness of the Canadian government.
  

These are just a few of the findings from the weekly National Post/COMPAS webpoll of business leaders and CEOs under sponsorship of BDO Dunwoody LLP and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

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